Wellness

About the Wellness and Advanced Wellness Check

Wellness Check

All potential donors will have the following tests performed prior to donation to determine their eligibility:

Temperature – An increased body temperature, or fever, from the "normal" 98.6°F is often a good clinical indication of possible infection. In the early stages of an infection, you may have an elevated body temperature in the absence of any other symptoms.

Blood pressure – High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the most common heart disease risk factor. One in four adults has systolic blood pressure (the upper number) over 140, and/or diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) over 90, which is the definition of hypertension. Early detection and taking steps to control your blood pressure can reduce your risk of heart disease.

Pulse – The National Stroke Association reports that stroke is the third leading cause of death in America. One way to help prevent stroke is by taking your pulse to determine if your heartbeat is regular or very irregular. A very irregular pulse rate could increase your risk for stroke if it is associated with atrial fibrillation.

Hemoglobin – Hemoglobin is a substance in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs throughout the body tissues where it picks up carbon dioxide (a cellular waste product) and transports it to the lungs for elimination. A deficiency of hemoglobin caused by a lack of iron can lead to anemia and an inadequate delivery of oxygen to the tissues.

All eligible donors who successfully donate have the following tests performed on their blood:

ABO/Rh – An individual's blood type is important information should the donor require a blood transfusion in the future. It is also required information for admission into the armed forces, some training programs (police and fire department) and prior to employment in certain fields.

Advanced Wellness Check

The Advanced Wellness Check is a Commit for Life benefit that is complimentary once per year for Gold level members. Gold members may purchase additional Advanced Wellness Checks by using their store points. Other members also may purchase using their points.

The lipid profile (fasting cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides) is a group of tests that are often ordered together to determine risk of coronary heart disease. The tests that make up the profile have been shown to be good indicators of whether someone is likely to have a heart attack or stroke caused by blockage of blood vessels.

HDL cholesterol level – Low HDL cholesterol puts you at high risk for heart disease. In the average man, HDL cholesterol levels range from 40 to 50 mg/dL. In the average woman, they range from 50 to 60 mg/dL. HDL cholesterol that’s less than 40 mg/dL is low.

Triglyceride Level – Your triglyceride level will fall into one of these categories:

Less than 150 mg/dL

Normal

150 to 199 mg/dL

Borderline-high

200 to 499 mg/dL

High

500 mg/dL or higher

Very high

Many people with high triglycerides have underlying diseases or genetic disorders.

To obtain accurate lipid-profile results, the blood sample should be taken when the individual has been fasting (no food or drink for eight hours). Therefore, you will not be able to have a sample drawn for this testing at the same time you donate blood. Samples will be drawn at one of our fixed-site facilities.

Blood Center News

I am an unashamed fan of Wonder Woman. Family members reminisced about how I used to wrap a towel around my neck and run around the house singing the “Woman Woman” theme song. (No, that wasn’t a typo. My ability to get song lyrics wrong was apparent even at the young ages of 3 and 4.)

I was excited last summer to meet Shelley and her daughter, Courtney. The two were full of laughter and fun when Shelley came into our office for a photo shoot. Shelley is one of our long-time dedicated donors. She’s got that kind of giving spirit, and we were thrilled to capture a few photos of her.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to help save more lives than ever in 2019. But those automated donations can take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half. Mine, in particular, lean more toward the hour-and-a-half territory. What’s a girl to do? Watch Netflix movies and donate. And because I’m so thankful for your willingness to help us save lives, here are my top five recommendations for January.

One of the best parts of the Holiday Hugs tradition is reading the notes our donors write for patients in the hospital over the holidays. It’s not an easy task as each patient has his or her own individual circumstance, so we’re restricted in which cards we tie to each bear. Still, many of our donors are well up to the task.

I learned something the other day. Every day, someone’s life is being saved. I know that seems obvious, but let that sink in. What may be a normal Thursday for most could be something completely different for someone else. And that’s exactly what happened to donor Gary Gilson. Aug. 16 was one of the most important moments in Gary’s life. Not only did he save lives that day, but someone else saved the life of his loved one, as well.

A 3-year-old girl lies in a hospital bed in the middle of the room with monitors attached to her bare chest. She’s awake, but she doesn’t lift her head as we walk into the room. Still, she follows us with her eyes. The only sound we hear from her is a small cough while a nurse comes in to check her stats.

Blood transfusion is one treatment used to combat complications from sickle cell disease, a form of anemia most likely to affect people of African descent. Prince and her now 27-year-old daughter, Quannecia McCruse, founded the Sickle Cell Association of Houston years ago to educate and provide resources to the community.

Penny, a local teacher with some free time over the summer, has helped us kick off our new Volunteer Driver program. Are you interested in joining us in our mission to save lives? Call us at (713) 791-6262 or email volunteering@giveblood.org.

I’m a scaredy-cat. I readily admit it. I hate needles. That’s always been my excuse for why I don’t volunteer for anything with a needle. Flu shot? No way. Vaccines? I still remember the sheer terror I felt from them growing up.

CYPRESS – There is nothing more American than baseball and saving lives. Everyone who participates in The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center’s Home Run for Life competition will get a chance at both through June 30.

Here at The Blood Center, we pride ourselves on being an organization of diversity. We work together to save and sustain lives, and we each bring a unique perspective when it comes to fulfilling our mission.

Hurricane Harvey destroyed homes, cars and many other things, but one thing it couldn’t destroy is the compassion for others in newlywed couple Gilbert and Stefanie Cruz. Gilbert and Stefanie were set to get married just a few days after Harvey passed, but due the storm’s aftermath they had to alter all of their plans on a moment’s notice.

Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center has partnered with two local agencies providing emergency medical services to help save more lives when time is of the essence, now administering whole blood to patients on the ground.

The Lone Star Circle of Life bike tour visits Texas cities to raise awareness of the need for blood, marrow, organ and tissue donations to honor those impacted by these donation types. This year’s eight-day, 600-mile tour included stops in Houston and College Station.